Nehemiah 1 - Praying God's Word

Please read Nehemiah 1.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/neh/1/1/s_414001

Meditate on verse 11.

"O LORD, I beseech You, may Your ear be

 attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the

 prayer of Your servants who delight to revere

Your name, and make Your servant successful today

and grant him compassion before this man."

Nearly 100 years had passed since the Israelites began returning to their homeland after 70 years of exile in Babylon, and the walls of Jerusalem were still torn down. When Nehemiah heard the report that the people and the city were a wreck, he prayed fervently (vs. 3-4). Nehemiah knew there was only One who could fix this hopeless situation.

What is your first response when you receive distressful news? Learn from Nehemiah: Stop what you are doing and cry out to God; fast, confess, and pray as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

Start your prayer with the words from Nehemiah 1:5-7 and 10-11.

“I beseech You, O LORD God of heaven, the great

 and awesome God, who preserves the covenant

 and lovingkindness for those who love Him

and keep His commandments; let Your ear now

 be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer

 of Your servant which I am praying before You

now, day and night, on behalf of _________ and me,

confessing our sins which we have sinned against You;

 I and my father’s house have sinned.  We have

acted very corruptly against You and

have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes,

nor the ordinanaces which You commanded us.

We are Your servants and Your people whom

 You redeemed by Your great power and

 by Your strong hand.  O LORD, I beseech You,

 may Your ear be attentive to the prayer

 of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants

who delight to revere Your name, and make

Your servants successful today and

 grant us compassion before You and man. 

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Galatians 6 - Praying God's Word

Please read Galatians 6.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gal/6/1/s_1097001

Meditate on verses 7-9.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked;

for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

For the one who sows to his own flesh

will from the flesh reap corruption,

 but the one who sows to the Spirit will

from the Spirit reap eternal life.  

Let us not lose heart in doing good,

for in due time we will reap if we not grow weary.

Paul concluded this letter to the church of Galatia, wanting them to be on the right track and living as a church that understood the Christian life does not find its righteousness in the Law. He wanted them to stop investing time and faith into things that do not honor Jesus.

Paul used a farming illustration of sowing to make a simple truth. If you plant wheat, then wheat will grow. If you plant rice, then rice will grow. If you plant things of the flesh, you will reap corruption. If you plant things of the Spirit, you will reap eternal life.

Are you thinking and doing things in your mind and body not of God? Stop planting those things and start planting things of God into your life.

Be encouraged to keep running the race of faith Jesus has called you to run. He wants you to keep going with Him and finish strong!

Pray Galatians 6:8-9 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, help ________ and me not sow to

 our own flesh and reap corruption.

 Help us sow to the Spirit, and from

 the Spirit, reap eternal life.  

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for You

 promised in due time, we will reap.

Help us not grow weary.

In Your name, Jesus ~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Galatians 5 - Praying God's Word

Please read Galatians 5.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gal/5/1/s_1096001

Meditate on verses 16 and 25.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you

 will not carry out of the desire of the flesh.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

The Galatian church was learning not to seek righteousness in the Law. Verse 7 is sad. Paul asked them why they were no longer running well with the LORD. They had been hindered, but this was not from the God who called them. God deeply desired the Galatians to journey with Him. He wanted them free from the things negatively affecting their walks.

Is there something in your life that hinders your walk or run with the LORD? Is there a teaching you heard that made you doubt or believe less? Is there a persuasive teacher you listen to drawing your attention away from the LORD? Do they have rules you have to follow? Do they talk about themselves more than the LORD?

God wants you to walk with Him by being in step with the Spirit and bearing the fruit of the Spirit (vs. 22-23).

Pray Galatians 5:16 and 25 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, help _____­­____ and me walk by the Spirit.

Do not let us carry out of the desires of the flesh.

Help us live by the Spirit.

Let us walk with You by walking with the Spirit.

In Your name, Jesus ~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Galatians 4 - Praying God's Word

Please read Galatians 4.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gal/4/1/s_1095001

Meditate on verse 6.

Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit

 of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Yesterday, in Galatians 3:26, you learned that salvation is provided by Jesus, and you become “sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ.”  In Chapter 4, Paul defines that relationship even more. 

“But when the fullness of time came, God

sent forth His Son, born of a woman,

born under the Law, so that He might

 redeem those who were under the Law,

that we might receive the adoption

 as sons.  Because you are sons,

God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son

 into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son;

 and if a son, then an heir through God.

—Galatians 4:4-7

It is amazing how much God loves you! Look at all of the things He did so you can be His child who calls Him, “Abba, Father” (v. 6). (Abba means “Daddy.”) None of us have perfect fathers to emulate when we think about God. You may not have had a father in your life. You may have had a horrible one. A woman came to us with tears of joy after hearing a sermon about how much God wants to be our Abba Father, Daddy. She said, “My earthly father never wanted me. I am so happy that God wants me! For the first time in my life, I have a dad!”

Pray Galatians 4:4-7 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 “LORD, thank You for working in the fullness of time.

Thank You for redeeming ________ and me as adopted sons.

Thank You for Your Spirit by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’

Please redeem ________ and make them Your child and heir.

In Your name, Jesus ~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Galatians 3 - Praying God's Word

Please read Galatians 3.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gal/3/1/s_1094001

Meditate verses 26-28.

For you are all sons of God through

 faith in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who were baptized

 into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is

neither slave nor free man; there is neither male

 nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Paul continued to help the Galatians see the difference between seeking God with the Law and seeking Him with the Spirit. Salvation comes as a result of the Spirit in a new covenant that frees believers from the Law; salvation is not perfected by works of the Law.

Jesus very specifically creates a new system of righteousness.  His redemption on the cross allows both Jews and Gentiles to receive the promise of the Spirit (vs. 13-14). The Spirit of God perfects believers in His holiness, convicting and teaching Christians how to live in Christ (John 16:7-15).

In verses 2 and 5, Paul uses a phrase “hearing with faith” to describe how people become Christians. You hear the Gospel and believe it. Hearing with faith is the faith that creates Christians and sets them apart from those who are not believers. And once you have received Jesus by faith and become sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ, your status changes in how you are viewed by God (vs. 26, 28).

Pray Galatians 3:5 and 28 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, help _________ and me to hear by faith.

Thank You for providing Your Spirit,

LORD; work miracles among us.

Help us be one in You, Christ Jesus.

In Your name, Jesus ~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Galatians 2 - Praying God's Word

Please read Galatians 2.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gal/2/1/s_1093001

Meditate on verses 4-5.

But it was because of the false

 brethren secretly brought in,

who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty

which we have in Christ Jesus,

in order to bring us into bondage.  But we did

 not yield in subjection to them for even an hour,

so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

Paul’s frustrations continue in this chapter. Working to integrate Christians of Jewish and non-Jewish backgrounds, he traveled to Jerusalem to learn what was required to be a believer. In addition, he received a blessing to continue ministering to the non-Jewish people. Some desired all Christians to follow all of the Jewish standards found in the Law, or the Old Testament. Paul was caught in a type of trap that ended up with Titus refusing to go through a Jewish ritual not necessary for salvation or good standing in the Body of Christ (v. 3).

You may be in a situation where you are challenged by lost people at school, home, work, or even church to compromise your beliefs to fit in with their group. When rules, power, and teachings have the effect of preventing the Gospel from going to others, then you need to pray for God to work in your life to have courage and wisdom to intercede in the situation, so others can know the truth.

Pray Galatians 2:4-5 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, expose false brethren.

Thank You for the liberty that _________ and

I have in You, Christ Jesus.

Do not let false brethren bring us into bondage.

Help us not to yield in subjection to them for even an hour.

Let the truth of the Gospel remain with the believers.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Galatians 1 - Praying God's Word

Please read Galatians 1.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gal/1/1/s_1092001

Meditate on verse 10.

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? 

Or am I striving to please men? 

If I were still trying to please men, I

 would not be a bondservant of Christ.

After God used Paul to start the church in Galatia, Paul wrote to encourage them in their faith. This church was doing well until they started listening to false teachings that added additional requirements for being a Christian (v. 6).

Paul’s frustration with them is found throughout the letter because he realizes the stakes are high for his beloved Galatians. When salvation is involved, and people miss it because of false teaching, it is truly a tragedy. So, Paul wrote boldly, hoping they would turn back to the truth.

Paul taught that pleasing men over pleasing God prevents believers from becoming bond-servants of the LORD Jesus Christ, willingly surrendering to serve and please Him.

In order to be a true disciple of Jesus, you have to make Him LORD (Master) of your life. Are you in a situation where pleasing someone else is preventing you or others from being in a right relationship with God and doing His will?

Pray Galatians 1:10 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, show ________ and me

where we are seeking

the favor of men or striving to please men.

Help us to seek Your favor, God, and

 be Your bond-servants, LORD Jesus.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Hosea 14 - Praying God's Word

Please read Hosea 14.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/hos/14/1/s_876001

Meditate on verses 1 and 4.  The LORD is speaking.

“Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God,

 for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

 I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely,

 for My anger has turned away from them.”

God’s steadfast love and unending mercy undergird His gracious invitation to return to Him.  Hear the LORD as He extends the invitation to you, filling the blank with your name (vs. 1-2):

Return, O ____________, to the LORD your God,

for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

Take words with you and return to the LORD.

Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity

 and receive me graciously,

that I may present the fruit of my lips.”

Pray Hosea 14 in acceptance of God’s gracious invitation.

“LORD, I have stumbled because of my iniquity.

 I am returning to You. 

Take away all iniquity and receive me graciously.

 Please receive these words as fruit from my lips.

 No one can save me but You, LORD.

 Never again will I say, ‘My god,’ to the work of

my hands, for in You, I find mercy.

  LORD, heal my apostasy.  Thank You for loving

 me freely and turning Your anger away from me.

 Be like the dew to me.  Let me blossom like

the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.

  Let my shoots sprout and my beauty be like the

olive tree and my fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon. 

Let those whom I love again raise grain

 and blossom like the vine.  Let our renown be like

 the wine of Lebanon.  Let us have nothing

more to do with idols.  It is You who answers

 and looks after us.  You are like a luxuriant

 cypress; from You comes our fruit.  Make us wise, so we

 understand these things; make us discerning,

 so we know them, for Your ways are right, LORD,

and the righteous will walk in them. 

Make us Your righteous ones.  Keep us from

 transgressors who stumble in Your ways.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Hosea 13 - Praying God's Word

Please read Hosea 13, taking to heart the LORD’s condemnation of Israel and purposing to live wholeheartedly for God, so He does not have to say these words to you.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/hos/13/1/s_875001

Meditate on verse 9. 

It is your destruction, O Israel, that you

 are against Me, against your help.

Thankfully, God recorded the events from the past, so we do not have to make the same mistakes.  Hear and heed God’s warning and exhortation from 1 Corinthians 10:11-12, for He does not want you to take His Word lightly, treating it merely as a history book:

Now these things happened to them as an example,

and they were written for our instruction,

upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 

Therefore, let him who thinks he stands

 take heed that he does not fall.

Pray the words from Hosea 13:1-6, 9, and 12, asking God to keep you and those you love from sinning.

“LORD, do not let ________ and me exalt ourselves. 

We do not want to die because we

 have done wrong.  Stop us from sinning more and more,

becoming like the morning cloud and dew

 which soon disappears.  Do not let us be like chaff,

 which is blown away from the threshing floor

 and like smoke from a chimney. 

LORD, You are our God!  We know no other

 god except You!  There is no savior besides You! 

You have cared for us in the wilderness,

 in the land of drought.  Do not let us become satisfied

 and proud in the pasture You provide.

 Let us never forget You! Let us never be against You! 

LORD, You are our Help!  Help us, LORD! 

Free us from the iniquity bound up in us!

 Do not let us store up sin!

Because of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell